GCSE star Malala to have armed protection

Published on : 22 August, 2015 By Imran Choudhury

Malala Yousafzai

Malala Yousafzai, the teenage education rights campaigner who came to Britain after the Pakistani Taliban tried to kill her, has scored high marks in national school exams, her father said on Friday (August 21).

Malala, shot in the head three years ago for championing girls’ rights to education, gained six A* grades, the highest possible, and four As, the second highest, in her GCSEs.

“My wife Toor Pekai and I are proud of Malala,” her father Ziauddin wrote on Twitter. “Education for every child.”

Her top grades were in biology, chemistry, physics, religious studies and two maths exams.

The 18-year-old was flown to Britain in 2012 for hospital treatment after being shot on a school bus in Pakistan’s Swat Valley.

She now lives permanently in Birmingham with her family and attends an all-girls school.

Malala, who hopes one day to be prime minister of Pakistan, was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 2014 jointly with India’s Kailash Satyarthi for promoting education rights for children.

GCSEs are exams in a wide range of subjects usually taken by all children in Britain at the end of their fifth year in high school. Pupils received their results on Thursday (August 20).

Meanwhile, Malala has reportedly been given two 24-hour armed guards in the UK after she was made a key target by terrorists.

The guards have been tasked to protect the 18-year-old rights activist because spy chiefs warn that threats against her have been growing, a London-based daily reported last Sunday (23).

“Her life’s been at risk since that failed murder attempt. But threats have grown significantly as her profile has become bigger,” a source was quoted as saying by the daily.

“Being a Nobel winner and female education campaigner means she is seen as a global ambassador. Her elite police protection reflects this,” the source said.

The level of security given to Malala is usually accorded to ministers or other important political figures.